Rmlboad-statioit indicator



l. @uitrit tutes gstrnt'@fittizi4 cEoneE- T. LAPE, Vor SUMMIT,A `NEW YORK, AssIeNon-To 'HtMsELrAND` AJEFIIIAII LEATHE, OF NEW YQRK, N.`1Y.

Letters Patent l\i'o.'b`8,99'i, elated Septemer l17, 1867.

RAILRGD-STATION INDICATOR.

TO ALL WHOM Il MAY CONCERN:.

Be it known'that I, GEORGE T. LA PE, of Summit, in the county of Schoharie, and State'of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Automatic Railroad-Station Indicators; and I do hereby declarerthat` the following is a full, clear, and lexact description thereof, which will enable others skilled: in the artto make and-,use the sn1ne, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming' part of this specification, `in

whicl1 f Figure 1 is an open end view of iny'improvedapparatus for indicating the stations.

Figure 3, a vertical section in. the line y y, rig, 1. I l

Figure 4, vien of index. l

Similar letters of reference` indicate. like parts. p

'This invention relates to a new and useful mode of constructing apparatus for indicating to passengers in a railroad'ear the names of stations as they approach or pass them, and the distances between them and the termini of the road; and it consists inl placing at one end, or at some convenientpat of a passenger ear, uan` index of names and distances,- which is' operated on by a low post or` cam placed on the railroad track atV eachl station, by m'eans of a vibrating rod that projects through the door of the ear and strikes the camlwhen thel train passes a station, and thus moves an apron or scroll, and thereby brings the name of a station intoview in a conspicuous index in the car, together with the-distances tonnd from the termini of the road, or to the next station, or the time the train is due-at any point on' thc road, as'hcreinafter described. i

The apparatus is enclosed in a suitable box framing, A, set up in the side ofthe car, having a face or front, a, in whichare suitable openings for showing the names of stations and distances in figures, to and from places g on a railroad, as they are changed from time .to time in the passage of the train, and as exhibited ing. 4. These names and figures are printedon .a long` apron, B, of any suitable fabric, 'which is secured atlthe ends upon two rollers IJ b at the back of the box A, as shown in Figure 2, around which ther apron is wound in such manner as to pass over two other rolls c c in the front part of the box A, and travel and forth to wind upon one or the other-of the rolls 11 b, according as a train may move in one orl another opposite direction. The rolls c cv are suspended in slides d d 'orking'in slots in a casing, and drawn in opposite directions toikeep theapron taut by means of India-rubber springs e e that are fastenedto rods gV g attached `to the slides and stationtuy` rods y g xed in the framing of the box above and belowthe apron B. y On the ends of the rolls b b are pinions t t which gear into :Leeg-wheel, D, placed betiveenrthem, and hung on a shaft, k, that carries a hexagonal or polygonal disk, C, the periphery ot' which has anges m onthe sides, and au intermediate flange partition, mi, in the middle, in which flanges are fixed cross-rods or pins n nf, extending across the divisions ot" the disk C in different positions on its periphery. One set of pins n is placed a little `.ray from each 4apex of the polygonal sides in one division ot' the disk C, and tlie other set n is placed a little way from the opposite side of each apex` inthe other division of the disk', as shown clearly in fig. 3.Y At one side o f the disk `are placed `two vertical spiral springs, s s,'on fixed guidorods running through them, upon which they `can contract and expand freely.` These springs are enclosed partly in tubes p y that are'cappcd at their opposite ends, so as' to `bear onion@ end" of each spring to centr-uct it, ashereinai'tcr described. On the sides of thc tubes p' PL are fastened 'block-st t` ut their open ends, to' which are attached hooked rods r1" for hooking uponthe pins n n in reverse position, soi that oneri-od shall draw upon one set of pins u and turn the disk` C `in one direction, and the other red shall` draw upon the other set of pins n and turn the disk in the opposite-clirccticml Chains Yq g are attached at one end vto the blocks t t' respectively, and atthe other end on opposite sides of a vertical rock-wheel, E, which isi suspended to a' bracket or hanger, F, under the licor A of a car. The upper partei' the chain g passes over rollersu u at the top of the box framing A. The ro'clcn'heel E is Yprovided. with a projecting bar, zu, at the under side, which reaches near enough to the surface of a railroad track to strike a canrbiock-or post, z, slet firmly in the ground. y

`It is apparent that with this apparatus, arranged as described, whenever the ear passes the cam-block z the hariw will strike tno cam and-vibrate the rock-wheel E in one direction and draw a chainhq or q', in s'ueh man@ 1er that it will pull the disk C pdrtlyoround, by means of one of the hooked rods T or r', and thus, operating;r m the gearing D, L will shift the apron Bon thc rollers b b, ond present in the index a name of :1J-station and die figures 'of distance next insuccession, as shown in fig. 4. Each station, and the distances to andfrom v )laces on the rood, will thns be successively indicated ais the train passesor approaches another. station. The perations arereversed when the trains move in opposite directions.A

Having thus described my invention, .what I claim as-neiv, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The slides ci d attached to the India-rubber springs. c e, in vcombination with the apron B, arranged and iper-ating substantially :is and fo: the purpose specied. A

2. The arrangement of the polygonal disk C, spiral springs s s', tubes p p', chains q (1,' rock-wheel E. com Lond apron B, as and for the purpose specied.

' GEO. T. LAPE. Witnesses:

Win. F. McNMARA, ALEX. F. ROBERTS. 

